GReddy Intercooler Installation

I performed this installation as part of a larger project which included an
APEXi AVC-R boost controller, J&S
Safeguard, GReddy Oil Catch
Can, and some
gauges. I also installed a SPAL
7½" puller fan as part of the IC upgrade. I can't imagine putting the
stock fan on a new intercooler, and I doubt anyone else would, either. I
installed a special circuit that would enable this fan to be energized either
with ignition power or battery power, or turned off entirely.

Because of the scope of
my project, some of the photos might show more disassembly than is actually
required. It's also likely that the photos don't always match EXACTLY what's in
the text. As is often the case, I would have changed the sequence of a few
things if I had to do it over again.

I've not listed the
torque settings for the various fasteners. I consulted the BGB on most of them,
but I've also learned that the BGB has errors, and some of them refer to
incorrect torque settings. I'd like to avoid any potential for someone to point
their finger at my instructions as the cause of that broken or lost fastener. If
I find an incorrect setting that could cause a problem, I'll mention it, but
generally you should use your own experience and the BGB as the guide. If you
don't have the BGB, get a set.

The materials list is
specific to my project. You will likely make some choices different from my own
and your list will vary somewhat. I hope I have included most of the tools,
etc., required, but my memory is not what it used to be.

While most of this work
was performed by myself, I did solicit the help of a friend for removal of the
stock intercooler. I was trying to remove it undamaged, and this proved close to
impossible for one person without removing the right-hand motor mount. It might
be possible, but I took the easier route.

The photos in this
guide can be enlarged by clicking on them. This will greatly improve the clarity
of the area in question.

As with most projects,
many people deserve credit for providing ideas, plans, and materials. Here are a
few of the direct contributors:

McMaster-Carr,
which is an invaluable source of materials and hard-to-find items. They have an
expansive selection of parts on their web site (www.mcmaster.com),
they'll fill any size order, and they ship the same day 99% of the time.

Finally, remember that this is only a guide --
not gospel. What you do to YOUR vehicle is YOUR responsibility. I do not
endorse, approve, authorize, or otherwise encourage you to make alterations to
your vehicle. Be careful, and recognize the dangers associated with
modifications to your vehicle's critical systems, like electrical, engine,
brakes, etc.

Please contact
me if you have comments or suggestions about the article or the project, or
if you find errors on these pages.

Tools
& Materials Needed

For disassembly and installation:

10,
11, 12, 13, & 14mm sockets in a variety of drive sizes.

A very healthy
assortment of socket extensions and adapters. If you've done any work on an
MR2, you know that you can never have too many different sizes of
extensions.

Doing It

Here are the components that ship with the GReddy
Intercooler kit:
I was lucky enough to get some English-language instructions with the
kit, but overall the quality of the drawings is so poor that you are
pretty much on your own. I hope to provide some additional details with
the photos I took.

Open the engine lid and remove the right side trim panel, which is held on
with two Phillips screws.

Remove the two 14mm bolts and two 14mm nuts securing the strut brace
to the body and strut towers.

Remove the clamps on the turbo hoses that attach to the stock intercooler.
These will all be replaced, as will the two interconnecting tubes:
Now is also the best time to disconnect the oxygen sensor (circled in red
above), its electrical connector (circled in white),
the intercooler fan connector (circled in green),
the A/C clutch connector (circled in yellow),
and the dipstick (circled in blue). If you are going to use a new circuit for the fan, this is a good time to
clip off the fan connector as well.

Make sure to tape over the openings for the oxygen sensor and dipstick
tube.

At this point I also disconnected the main intake pipe and its mounting
bracket to clean the pipe and repaint the bracket:
I'm not certain if this is required, but it's quick and easy and gives you
more room to work. It also avoids the temptation to brace yourself on the
intake pipe, which wouldn't hold the weight.

I took care to cover all open pipes with duct tape to prevent anything
from falling into the openings.

There's a lock bolt located in the center of the idler pulley wheel. This
bolt must be loosened before the belt can be loosened. I was lucky, as
apparently the Toyota mechanic who last worked on this did not apply much
force when tightening to it. I simply applied some hand pressure to the
top of the belt, and used an offset wrench (13mm?) to loosen the lock
bolt. The photo below shows the difficult location of this bolt. I
strongly urge you to wear some gloves to avoid skinned knuckles and/or
damaged intercooler fins.

The next component that needs to be removed is the engine hanger bracket.
Here's a photo of the bracket off the engine showing the mounting
holes:
Seeing the bracket like this makes it a bit easier to locate the bolts
when it's still mounted on the engine. Here's an in-place photo from
above:
There should be four 14mm bolts to remove, although as you can see in this
photo one of them is missing. Two of the bolts secure the bracket to the
engine, while the other two are used to secure the A/C idler pulley
bracket to the hanger bracket. Remove all four and you can remove the
hanger.

The stock intercooler fan comes off next. There are three 10mm bolts
fastened to the bracket on the intercooler, one at the upper right...
...one at the upper left...
...and one at the bottom:
Once you get the bolts out, the fan can easily be removed.

Here are two photos of the A/C idler pulley after removal. The first view
shows the pulley as it would appear on the engine. The top bolt is the
tension adjuster...
...while the second view shows the mounting holes more clearly:

The first step is to loosen the A/C drive belt by loosening the adjusting
bolt on the idler pulley, shown below circled in red:
Once the belt has been loosened, remove it off the pulleys.

Next, remove the three 12mm bolts that retain the idler pulley. Refer to
the previous photos for location. The most difficult bolt can be reached
just under the coolant hose, as shown here:
This one proved to be problematic to reinstall.

Once the bolts are out, carefully ease the idler pulley up and away
from the intercooler. My goal was to remove the stock intercooler
undamaged, so it was a bit more time-consuming to remove it.